In playing golf, it has long been known that the wrists should hinge in a specific direction parallel to the forearm during the backswing, downswing and until just after the ball is struck. In addition, when putting and chipping, the wrists should remain firm and locked through the back swing and follow through.
When putting and when chipping the ball from near the green, failure to maintain both wrists locked during the backswing and throughout the stroke leads to stubbed putts and misdirection. Putts and chips should be accomplished with a pendulum motion, using the forearms.
When making a full swing during a longer shot, if the wrists hinge in any other direction other than parallel to the forearm during the back swing the player is said to have either opened or closed the club face. This will cause the ball to hook or slice.
A number of different devices have been developed in an attempt to maintain a golfer's hands in the proper golf grip during the golf swing. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,038, Sasser describes a device with a sensor mounted on the forearm of the leading arm that has a sensor arm for engaging the back of the hand to signal the direction and degree of any errant hand movement. Osborn, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,508,280 shows a pair of golf gloves which lock together with a tape fastener material. Skouron in U.S. Pat. No. 3,559,212 discloses a single glove with an attachment that holds the last three fingers of the lead hand in place. Washburn in U.S. Pat. No. 4,017,086 describes a complex mechanical device attached to a forearm for holding the wrist in the proper bent or "cocked" position during a swing. position Freyer in U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,050 and Suttle in U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,827 both teach a pair of golf gloves which lock together with hook-and-loop material which produces a tearing sound when separated. Multiple attachments that secure the last two fingers of the gloved lead hand in place are described by Myers in U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,120. While each of these patents attempts to forcibly overcome the grip release or relaxation problem by preventing, at least up to a point, such relaxation or release, none actually teaches the golfer to use his or her natural ability to overcome the problem by maintaining a proper grip and wrist position throughout the golf swing.
Thus, there is a continuing need for improved methods and means for detecting wrist breaking during the different types of golf swings, for signaling proper or improper wrist movement, for teaching a golfer to maintain proper wrist position without rigidly forcing the hands into a particular position throughout a golf swing and which are comfortable and convenient to use.